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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. J. LLOYD & W. PRIEST.

TRIGYGLE.

No. 346,208. Patented July 2'7, 1886.

N ETERS. Phnlwmhographer. Vlaamngon, u. n

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W; J. LLOYD & W. PRIEST.

TRIGYOLE.

No. 346,208. Patented July 27, 1886.

may" ML N. PETERS, Hwwmh n m'. Wnhingion. n a

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrren.

\VALTER JOHN LLOYD AND \VILLIAM PRIEST, OF HARBORNE, COUNTY OF STAFFORD,

ENGLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 346,208, dated July 2.7, 1886.

Application filed May 22, 1886. Serial No. 202,982. No model.) Patented in England November 22, 1884, No. 15,413.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WALTER JOHN LLOYD and \VILLIAM PRIEST, residing at Harborne, in the county of Stafford, England, have in- 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements in Tricyeles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to tricyclcs; and it consists in certain improvements in the construction and combination of parts of such vehicles, as hereinafter pointed out.

This invention is specially an improvement on the patent of \V. J. Lloyd, No. 295,257,

[ dated March 18, 1884.

The present invention is patented in England, No. 15,413, dated November 22, 1884,

- and published July 29, 1885.

In the United States Patent hereinbefore re- 2 ferred to there is described a steering mechanism for tricyeles and other veloeipedes, consisting, essentially, of curvedslotted or opensided bearing-plates for the bearingblocks of the axle of the steering-wheel to slide in. As

2 the motion of the said bearing-blocks is principally upon the middle parts of the bearingplates, in consequence of the small angle through which the axle of the steering-wheel is constantly moving when the velocipede is in use, the wear is practically confined to the middle parts of the said bearing-plates; and the object of the present invention is to compensate for the said wear, and thereby avoid the rattling or jarring motion of the bearing-blocks upon the bearing-plates, and

the production of noiseless steering mechanism for trieycles and other veloeipedes. For

this purpose we construct and arrange thesaid bearing-plates and parts connected with them in the following manner: Instead of making the lower curved bearing-plate fixed, as described in the patent before referred to, we make the lower bearing-plate capable of approaching the'top bearing-plate, so as to 5 compensate for the wear of the said plates. We effect this object by hinging the ends of the lower bearing-plate to the bottoms of the pillars or distance-pieces between the pair of bearing-plates. The said bottom bear- 5o ing-plate is thereby made capable, by turning on its hinges, of a limited motion vertically to and from the top bearing-plate. In order to make the hinged bearing-plate self-adjusting, a spring is made to operate upon its middle and press it upward, so as to cause it to take a close seat against the bearing-block, and thus avoid the rattling or jarring motion of the bearing-blocks before referred to; or the position of the hinged bearing-plate may be adjusted by a screw-rod and lock-nuts.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings rep resents in plan a front-steered tricycle provided with steering mechanism constructed according to this invention, parts being omitted. Fig. 2 represents in front elevation, partly sectioned, and Fig. 3 in side elevation, the steering-wheel and steering mechanism of the tricyle. Fig. 4 represents one of the joint ends of the lower bcaring-plate, as hereinafter described.

a a. are the traveling wheels, and b the front steering-wheel, 0f the tricycle.

c is the axle of the steering-wheel, and cl is the forked frame within which the steeringwheel Works. The said framed also supports 7 the slotted or open-sided bearing-plates for the bearing-blocks of the axle c of the steering-wheel b to slide in. Each pair of slotted or open-sided bearing-plates is marked 0 0 the upper bearing-plate of each pair being marked e, and the lower bearing-plate being marked 6 The upper bearing-plate, e, is fixed, and the lower bearing-plate, e", is capapable of a limited vertical motion to and from the fixed plate 0, to compensate for the wear 8 5 of the said plates. This is effected by hinging or jointing the ends of the lower bearingplate, 6, to the forked bottoms of the fixed pillars or distance-pieces f between the pair of bearing-plates e 6 The joints of the bear- 9o ing-plate e are made in the manner seen in the horizontal section and front elevation of one end of the plate represented in Fig. 4- that is to say, each end 0* of the bearingplate e is bent at right angles to the body of the plate, and the said bent ends 0 are passed into the forked bottoms of the pillars f and hinged or jointed thereto by the cross joint-pins e. The ends of the plate e swivel or turn upon the said pins 0, the said plate performing a vertical or slight curvilinear motion upon the said joint-pins when it is raised or lowered.

The bearing blocks on the axle c of the steeringwheel I) may either. be fixed on the axle and slide between the bearing-plates e e or the said bearing-blocks may be loose upon the axle c and roll upon the bearing-plates when the steering-wheel is moved, so as toreduce the friction between the parts.

In the accompanying drawings we have represented the bearing-blocks'made in the form of wheels or rollers for rolling between the bearing-plates.

Each end of the axle c of the steering-wheel is provided with two loose bearing wheels or rollers, h "J, the upper fixed plate, 6, bearing upon the wheel or roller h, and the lower adjustable plate, 6', working against the other wheel or roller, 6. The peripheries of the bearing rollers or wheels h i are V-shaped, or nearly V-shaped, and the engaging edges of the upper and lcwerbearing-plates, e e, have a corresponding figure for taking into the said wheels or rollers, as best seen in the righthand end ofFig. 2'.

The hinged or jointed lower bearing-plate, e, of each pair of bearing-plates is supported and adjusted in the following manner: At the middle of the said lower bearing-plate, 6 is a horizontal arm, 70, to which the bottom of the screw rod Z is jointed. The said screw rod passes freely through an eye on the end of the horizontal arm m, fixed to the upper bearingplate, a, and is supported in its place by the strong helical or spring washer p, the upper part of which takes a bearing against the locknuts n on the rod Z, and the lower part of the said spring-washer bears against the eye part of the arm m. The lower adjustable bearingplate, 6 is thus connected to the upper fixed plate, e, by an elastic connection,whereby the said lower bearing plate is madecapable of slightly yielding when strain is put upon it.

In order to keep the bearing-surfacesof the upper and lower plates 6 e in close contact with the bearing blocks or wheels h i, itis only necessary from time to time to slightly raise the supporting serew-rods Z l by adjusting their lock-nuts p p. By thus raising the screw rods Z Zthe top edge of the lower bearingplate, 6 of each pair of plates is made to approach by a slight curvilinear motion the fixed upper bearing-plate, e, and the bearing-plates are thus made to seat themselves closely against the bearing blocks or rollers h i, and thereby 5 5 avoid the rattling or jarring motion of the bearing-blocks upon the bearing-plates.

The hinged bearing plate 0" may be made self-adjusting by causing the said plate to be pressed upward by a spring supported from the fixed upper bearing-plate, e.

The axle c of the steering-wheel bhas jointed to each end of it a steering connecting-rod, q, through which the steering-wheel is operated.

We claim- 1. In a tricycle, the axle of the steeringwheel having bearing-surface, combined'with curved guiding-plates adjustable relatively to said bearing-surface to take up wear.

2. In combination with the axle of the steer- 7o ing-wheel having a bearing-surface, asdescribed, two curved guide -plates bearing on said surfaces, one of said guide plates being pivotally supported and adjustable relatively to the other plate and to the axle-bearing, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the bearing on the axle of the steeringwheel, of curved "guide;

plates for said bearing, said guide-plates being\ drawn toward the bearing on the axle by spring-pressure, as set forth.

4. In a tricycle, the combination, with the axle of the steering-wheel, of the curved guideplates eand 6', one of said guide-plates hinged to the distance-pieces f, the rod 1, jointed to a 8 3 projection on one of said plates, and the projection m and nut engaging a screw on said rod 1 by which the plates may be drawn together, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures 0 in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER JOHN LLOYD. WILLIAM PRIEST. Witnesses;

H. GoDWIN Pnrnsr, ARTHUR RICHARD ALBERT. 

